John Fitch, 43, originally a clockmaker then a gunsmith, successfully trials his steamboat Perseverance on the Delaware river. Fitch's first model (1785) Two years ago, Fitch achieved to convince the state legislative bodies of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia to award him a conditional 14-year monopoly for steam navigation on their waterways. He just missed Maryland and the district of Columbia to get a complete area of business in the core of the

Claude d’Auxiron, ex-officer and polymath, a rightly renowned economist, 41, and Charles Monnin de Follenay, ex-officer, 38, formed last year a joint-venture company to promote steam navigation on river. Henri Léonard Bertin They achieved to convince the Secretary-of-State Henri Léonard Jean-Baptiste Bertin , aged 53, of the feasibility of a steamboat and of its economical interest. Since 1763 Bertin has been leading a ministry including agriculture, mines, river navigation

Always looking for a solution of river navigation substituting for the horse-drawn barges, Claude de Jouffroy d’Abbans is back in...

Claude de Jouffroy d'Abbans Looking for a solution of river navigation substituting for the horse-drawn barges, a French gentleman,...